One prior art mechanism for mounting a rudder on a boat includes first and second brackets attached to the rudder and first and second pintles mounted on the first and second brackets, respectively. Two apertured gudgeons or mounting members are mounted on the boat. The apertures are adapted to pivotally receive the pintles, respectively, thereby pivotally mounting the rudder.
One problem with this prior art construction relates to the retention of the pintles in the apertures of the gudgeons. With the prior art device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 502,723, a pin mounted on the boat cooperates with a groove in the pintle to prevent unintentional withdrawal of the pintle. The pin projects through an opening in the back of the boat.
With this prior art construction, it is difficult to properly align the various elements of the rudder lock such as the pin and the groove. Removal or demounting of the rudder is made difficult in that the pin can only be withdrawn by someone who is in the boat. It is also undesirable to have the opening in the boat which is necessary for pin mounting purposes. Finally, this prior art construction is relatively expensive.
The rudder lock disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,434 overcomes these disadvantages by providing a resilient lock element which is carried by the pintle and which cooperates with the gudgeon to releasably retain the rudder on the boat. The pintle has an axially extending slot in which the resilient lock element is mounted. Although this resilient lock element is very satisfactory, it would be desirable to further simplify manufacturing and to further reduce the cost of the unit.
Another problem occurs when the rudder strikes a relatively immovable underwater object. This can cause damage to the rudder and other parts of the boat as well as inconvenience to the passengers of the boat.